Music
25 Nov 24

Album Review: Soap&Skin, Torso

Soap&Skin by Manfred Werner.

Solid Covers Collection from Austrian Singer - 7/10

Releasing a covers album will always be a scary undertaking, but Soap&Skin – aka Anja Plaschg – goes for it on Torso.

Drawing from a wide palette of forebears, including Cat Power, The Doors, Janis Ian and David Bowie, the Austrian artist boasts an enviable knack for reinterpreting classics, often transforming them into delicate piano ballads.

Opener ‘Mystery Of Love’, originally written by Sufjan Stevens for the 2017 film Call Me By Your Name, admits us gently into the sonic landscape of Torso, with drawling vocals, soft brass flourishes and restrained keys.

Perhaps the most stalwart transformation is on the digital bonus track, Plaschg’s take on Lana Del Rey’s ‘God & Monsters’. The sunburnt lethargy evolves at molasses pace into a haze of atmospheric electronica.

Elsewhere, covers of Tom Waits’ ‘Johnsburg, Illinois’ and the Velvet Underground classic ‘Pale Blue Eyes’ also impress, but the real standout is the closing take on The Doors’ ‘The End’, where the arrangement is pared back to dazzling effect. A fine way to round off an impressive collection.